Starstruck
++ Vosian Citadel ++ A massive tear-drop shaped tower, the Vosian Citadel is designed with flying types in mind. The internal structure is open, allowing flight from top to bottom at every level. Skydecks at every twenty levels allow entrance into the structure, while the pinnacle is open for flight straight up. A few elevators exist for non-flying guests and maintenance mechs, but getting around is much easier for those with wings and jets. Training facilities, medical facilities, instruction centers, mess halls and living quarters can be found in sections of the citadel, with training camps at the bottom, and residential areas and luxury apartments at the peak. The dominating color scheme of the structure is cobalt and brushed steel gray, and lighting fixtures are present inside each ring-shaped level. This is a home location. You can link yourself or objects here. The only person rude and proud and enough to radio Knock Out in the dead of the night is Starscream. "" the seeker practically whines at Knock Out. "" As if talking up his luxurious residence eases the bite of him rudely interrupting Knock Out while he's probably recharging. It takes a few brief moments for Knock Out to respond, although surely it feels like minutes. HOURS. SOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOONG. "" is the little red Decepticon's eventual response. " Starscream isn't exactly the most patient mech in town. Not with other Decepticons, at least. The annoyance in his tone of voice shows through when he says, "" Consequently, the seeker retires to the lounge on the first floor of his massive residence, checking the time periodically and counting the number of breems it takes for Knock Out to arrive. "" Knock Out wonders. Okay, that was a few days ago, but still. Starscream groans exasperatedly. "" He sighs. "" "" Knock Out grumbles before going silent on the radio. One presumes that he's traveling, but who knows. Maybe he went back to recharge. Starscream won't really know until he gets there, will he? "" But then Knock Out goes silent on his radio. Starscream just props his feet up and leans back, relaxing in faith that Knock Out will come. "People get excited to hear even part of my name," Knock Out says as he swans inside, immediately claiming ownership with his very presence. As the most beautiful thing in the room, he should definitely own it. "Now then. What /did/ you do to yourself, and what are you going to give me for fixing it?" Starscream gives Knock Out a bored look. "You mean, ordinary people," he says with a huff, "you forget, I'm more than just ordinary." Starscream notices the way Knockout waltzes in swan like as if he owns the place and does not appreciate it. His optics narrow. "Do to myself?" He looks offended. "Do I look like the sort who self mutilates? /Please/. You're in no place to make demands, as this is /my/ house, but because I love being a philanthropist I'll buy you a round of drinks at the new dive I just opened in downtown Vos." "I'm at your house because /you/ called /me/ in the middle of the night to whine about your leaking energon," Knock Out says with an exasperated sigh. "I think I'm perfectly well-placed to make demands, because I can go right on home to my recharging slab, and you can stay here with your stinging arm." "You're still in /my/ house," Starscream says airily. "Therefore, when you're on my turf, you play by my rules. Now," he says, "fix me. I already agreed to buy you a round of drinks, isn't that good enough?" he says, sounding exasperated. "You offered me drinks as a philanthropist of your little kingdom," Knock Out says, tone drying out even more. Just plop some cacti into that desert. "You're not doing me a favor, Starscream. I'm not doing you a favor, either. I don't do favors." "Primus," Starscream retorts, "get your axles unbent, already. Like, what do you want? To go shopping? A spa session at the local massage parlor? A wax chassis manicure?" he grumbles. "Hurry up and make up your mind already, it's starting to sting /more/." Knock Out taps his chin with one long, dextrous finger, considering Starscream's pain. He is a particularly unsympathetic medic. "How about," he suggests, "you ask nicely?" "Oh, pretty please, won't you fix me, dearest, darling Knock Out?" Starscream begs sarcastically, even clasping his hands together and giving the medic wide innocent optics just for effect. Knock Out rolls his eyes and turns on his heel. "Goodbye, Starscream," he says, and starts for the door. "Primus!" Starscream groans. "Could you please see if there's anything you can do about this stab wound?" He somehow manages to say, though his servos are wound up something fierce. Being nice is never easy, or painless, at least for Starscream. Knock Out stops. Slowly, he turns, his mouth curved into a smirk. "Was that so hard?" he says, nearly purring. He makes his way back over, slipping into medic mode, which isn't actually any nicer, but is a bit more focused. On work. He does some quick scans, quick accessing what needs to be done. "What /did/ happen, anyways?" he asks as he starts off. With -- the medicing. Things. Starscream gives Knock Out a cold look. Yes, that was hard. Extremely. Painfully so. "I was meeting up with some potential Decepticon recruits, and one of them stabbed me," he says tersely. "Well, you know what they say, no pain, no gain." He sighs dramatically. "I don't particularly like that phrase," Knock Out says as he repairs some of of the tears beneath the surface causing the energon leak. "Sounds like they didn't particularly like you. I can't imagine." "Only when I'm the one saying it," Starscream says with a smirk. "I know, I was utterly taken aback," Starscream says airily. He glances at the time, frowning. "I hope you're just about finished," the seeker remarks, "I put in a maintenance request for the malfunctioning database in the basement, and whoever is coming to fix it should be here any moment," Starscream says, getting up abruptly. "Would you--" Knock Out is semi-attached to Starscream's arm in that he kind of has his fingers in there, and is kind of dragged up with him. "/Stop that/. If you want me to help, sit down and stay still!" There is a whistle that proceeds him, which has steadily built since he arrived but it reaches its apex now. Wheeljack's optics look up and around rather than on the path before him. "This sure is something," the mechanic says to no one in particular, other than for himself. He's never been to Vos before though he sure has requested it enough. In fact, he's sent numerous messages to the Vosian leader to try and get a meeting on Starscream's schedule - unsuccessfully so far. So when he intercepted this maintenance request... well, here he is, toolbox in hand and all. Since he isn't looking where he's going, Wheeljack is headed to the spot he was told he could find Starscream. "Whole place looks like it should be flyin'," he observes... with spotting the obvious, which is Knock Out. Whom he walks into. "Sorry sorry," he apologizes immediately. "Didn't mean to..." Wheeljack instantly shuts himself up as he points, "Hey Starscream!" "I think you're done," Starscream says, "it doesn't hurt anymore," He rudely pries Knock Out's fingers out, just as Wheeljack walks in and bumps into Knock Out. "Hey, wait a--!" But the rest of his phrase is lost as it is now Starscream's turn to bump into Wheeljack. The whole situation has suddenly turned awkward, with bots knocking into each other like bumper cars at Six Flags. "Oof.." He frowns. "And you are..?" he says, raising a brow ridge at the other mech. "You don't work for the Vosian Tech Service Desk, do you?" he says, looking skeptical. "For Primus' sake--" And then Knock Out is knocked from the other direction. "What /now/--" He turns, bumps, and then throws up his hands. "Everyone stop rubbing against me before you scratch my paint!!" Wheeljack is quick to try and make with the explanations. "No, I ain't but I advised one when he was at the 'versify for a seminar, in Iacon, and his radio wasn't working right so I fiddled with it and..." Inadvertently he's confessing to juicing it so that it now broadcasts all the way to Iacon. "Name's Wheeljack, which you might know from all them messages? Sorry sir, but your texts on thermal solar energy rebroadcasting, well, I just..." He's rambling. And staring. At Starscream. To break himself of that, Wheeljack looks to Knock Out and, without visible lips, winces as he points again. "Like there?" He indicates the spot where he walked into Knock Out with his toolbox. "Sorry." Starscream's optics widen. "So now all the maintenance requests I've put through for the past who knows how long have been broadcasted all the way to Iacon." He looks very unnerved. Perhaps because he takes no comfort in knowing that some of his sketchier maintenance requests (such as the ones that might allude to his faction) were broadcast all the way to the capitol. "Right." He suddenly remembers all of those 1014 messages from some random person he didn't know left on his receiver. "..Wheeljack. Uh. That was published, like vorns ago." He frowns, looking embarrassed. C'mon 'Jack, he's trying to leave his nerd past behind. ".. Okay, so why is it that you're here?" He rubs his helm, arching a brow ridge at Wheeljack. "Looks like everyone's been hearing your late night esca -- /what/." Knock Out stalls immediately in any snark he might be engaging at to start wheeling around trying to get a better look at where Wheeljack bumped him. "/What did you do/--" Sorry Knock Out, but Jackie has Starscream's full attention so he means to capitalize on it. "Oh! To help with the request you sent and..." He might not get another chance, Wheeljack knows, so... he drops his toolbox (somewhere above Knock Out's foot) to help diagram his conversation. "You work on transmutive energy fields, I think... well, don't know why you ever walked away from all that... sorry, but I've studied everything you've...," he fumbles. For as much as he practiced for this moment, it sure is backfiring on him. "Got many of my own ideas on experimental energy production methods since... well," he winks here, "we know they'll be needed." Right? Starscream snickers, stealing a glance over at the paint scratch on KO's armor. He smirks. "Ooh, that'll be hard to hide," the seeker quips. He then turns his attention to Wheeljack, who suddenly seems to have captured the Vosian ruler's attention. "Oh.. you did, did you?" This is somewhat of a first, someone who didn't immediately despise him within fifteen breems of meeting him. "I would like to see your research." He smiles. "Let's go have a drink, shall we?" He smirks and motions for Wheeljack to follow him. "Ex/cuse me/!!" Knock Out /fumes/ as Wheeljack ignores him for Starscream, as Starscream smirks and simpers about the scratch. "Where do you think you're -- /fffffffffff/." Or it sounds something like that, really -- furious and entirely incoherent. "You are going to leak energon everywhere, so I hope you're happy," he snaps at Starscream before turning to storm out. And go buff out that scratch. Wheeljack forgets all about Knout Out in this moment, as well as his dropped toolbox. "You would?!" So far, no not has been willing to listen to Wheeljack... maybe because all he does is cost them energon, despite all his mad ramblings about "I didn't bring my notes but... sure! There's so much about thermocoupling that I want to ask you... Sure! Yes!" Wheeljack is as excited as a not can be as he follows Starscream easily. "I'll show you everything!" Starscream examines the stab wound, which looks to be partially mended and is only leaking minimally now. "Mm, well, looks like you did some good," Starscream says with a fake smile, flying up and hovering a few feet off the ground so that he can pat Knock Out on the helm lightly before he storms out angrily. "You know, I didn't un-invite you to drinks, so it'll be purely of your own volition that you miss out," he says, laughing a little. "Oh, good," Starscream says, noting Wheeljack's enthusiasm. "I was hoping you would," He starts heading down an adjacent hallway. "Think he'll be alright?" It's only after they have left Knock Out that Wheeljack realizes he should have apologized more. "Oh scrap! I know who that was too! I'll make it up to him," Wheeljack vows aloud, mostly for himself. He's quickly fallen into step behind Starscream, unwilling to be left behind, especially now. "Sorry for saying so, sir, but the community is weaker for you leaving it for politics. I get it, helping more folks and all, at least more directly, surely... But your theories, frankly, they're mind-opening. Sir, " Wheeljack is quick to correct himself as he follows. "We're gonna' need your science soon." "He'll be just fine, don't worry about him," Starscream says with a small somewhat devious smile. The seeker's ventilations shafts heave out a large gust of air, and Vosian ruler shakes his helm. "It is, what it is," he says matter-of-factly. "Uh.. okay, thank you, but there's a reason why I left science." Then he pauses. "Alright, humor me, for what, exactly?" They've arrived at a fancy mini-bar of sorts, and Starscream is pouring the other bot a hefty glass of an expensive drink akin to Nightmare Fuel. Wheeljack doesn't immediately take the drink, mostly because he needs to keep his wits together. Already he's shaky and staring, clearly enamored with all that is Starscream. He looks like he has to tell you that fact, yet... he holds it in, because what he has to share is important. "Cybertron, it ain't going to have energy to last forever, least not as more of us happen... something's gotta' give. We're going to have to compensate somehow, use new methods... your work on solar energies," he leans . "Nearly memorized it all, but I built a test drone.. though gotta' yet make one that's survived reentry... still, point ius, we gotta be smarter, find new ways. I was hoping ... well." Jackie claims his drink. He might need some liquid courage yet, though he has yet to drink. "..." Starscream doesn't respond right away, but his expression is pensive. Eventually, it becomes devious as Starscream stares out into the distance, smirking cleverly. "Mm. Yes. You built a test drone? Tell me, Wheeljack, did it have defensive capabilities?" Although the seeker is thinking the word offensive will better suit where he's going with this. He takes a sip of his drink and nods at Wheeljack, wanting him to do the same. "You're absolutely right. The future of Cybertron will need reusable, multifunctional energy. For transportation, powering residential and commericial districts, construction, medicinal technology and of course--weapons. We wouldn't want to be lacking in case of an emergency." He looks over at Wheeljack. "What do you think?" "Depends on your meaning of 'defensive' I guess..." He has had several blow up on him which seems pretty defensive to him. Wheeljack tries to remember what all he built each drone with. "I hadn't thought about giving them anything like that... was thinking I should finally get around to giving them landing gear though, in case one of them ever does make it back to the surface...". Jackie rubs his chin as he weighs which is more valuable to pursue. Jackie then looks immediately relieved. Someone believes him, and his idol no less! "I think I need to show you what I have! I was thinking, I should invite others, like me, to come up with solutions. If you could oversee or consult on what we come up with, guide us... I think we could revolutionize everything! We could save Cybertron!" With that Jackie does that he only does with those he trusts. His banded faceplate slips open to reveal his mouth, because that... THAT is something he can drink to! "Well, I suppose, but those are all details that can be worked out eventually," Starscream says mildly, taking another sip of his drink. "Hn. Landing gear would be a good idea," he comments dryly. "Yes, yes of course. I want to see all of your work. Just let me know when I can stop by your laboratory and have a look," Starscreams says somewhat deviously. "Well before we decide to do anything I'll want to approve all these.. other members, if you will." Then he smirks, and holds up his glass for a toast. "To a better Cybertron."